Connecticut western news., 1887-01-19
ANIMAL TRAINING.
Experiments With Horses,
 Dogs, Pigs, and Elephants.
Tn, Horse the Hardest, and the Elephant
 the Easiest Animal to Train.

ask themselves how the animals are taught to do them. A writer in the Aatin, having interviewed several circus celebrities, undertakes to satisfy their curiosity. NJ. Loyal, who has been ring master of the leading Paris circus for 32 years supplies interesting information concerning horses. ''The horse, he says, ''contrary togcneral belief is the most stupid animal on earth. He has only one faculty, memory. You must teach him his exerc ses with the caves son and the long whip. Having forced them into his head, you must use the short whip when he resists and give him a carrot when he obeys. Whips and carrots form the secret of the trainer. The horse must be from to years old: before that age he is too spirited, after 1t his muscles are not elastic enough. The first thing to do is to accustom your horse to the ring, to make him run round regularly, and then to stop at given signal. To accomplish this the animal is brought into the ring. The trainer holds in his left hand tether, which is passed into the cavessoa, a kind of iron crescent armed with sharp points fixed on the nose of the horse; in his right hand he holds long whip. Behind the animal an assistant, with stout short whip, is posted. The trainer calls on the horse to start, and, pulling his tcther and smacking his long whip, forces him to gallop round. If he re- fuses, the assistant uses his whip also; if he is obedient, he is rewarded with a carrot. To make him stop short, the trainer cracks his long whip again, while the assistant with his short whip throws himself suddenly in front of the animal, and the result is obtained" M. Loyal tells us that "the horse has great objection to kneeling or lying down at any moment. This feat is taught by means of iron bracelets placed on his ankles and attached to tether held by the trainer, who, by sudden jerks or pulls as he is moving makes him fall or kneel. The animal remembers the lessons and, by dint of whip and carrot, ultimately performs them at the mere command of the trainer. The horse is taught to dance to music in the same way with the foot bracelets" As regards the learned horse, who opens boxes and takes articles out of them, here is how the animal is trained to do it: ''I first get carrot" says M. Loyal. "I place it in box. then lead the horse to the box. He smells the carrot, lifts up the lid of the box with his nose and takes out the vegetable, which he is al- lowed to eat. The next day, before let ting the horse free, show him a hand kerchief full of bran. He takes it and tries to eat it. I then let him loose. He runs to the box, but-bitter deception itis empty. The day after I resume the exercise, but this time the horse finds the handkerchief with the bran in the box. He takes it out, and reward him with carrot. decrease the amount of bran in the andkerchief every day, un- til in the end put merely the handker- chief in the box. Tn, horse brings it to me, and gets his carrot. I then re- duce the size of the carrot every day.
 until at last I give him nothing. The horse continues to perform with the handkerchief in the hope of getting the l carrot"
 With respect to dogs, M. Changcux, who is now exhibiting troupe of them at the Nouveau Arque, says their educa- ton is work of time and patience. Sometimes it takes two years. 'T use neither sugar or whip" he informs us
 'T take my dog in my hands, talk to him, and try to make him understand what he is to do. Iperform the tricks myself and the dogs follow and initiate me-" At present he is show ing a carriage dog which performs on the single wire.
 q will tell you how I taught him to become an equnlibrist. made him first of all walk on plank which was bal anced 10 and fro. The plank was gradually reduced in width every day, and the movement accelerated. At length the plank dwindled down to a narrow slip; this was replaced by long round stick, and ultimately the dog found himself on the single wire. Strange to say, this dog is blind. M. Changeux says scent is the great quality which enables dogs to perform some tricks.
 For example, the poodles who play at
 dominoes are taught by their scent. The
 trainer touches the dominoes which the
 dog has to play, aud the animal smell
 ing them, pick them out from the rest
 and plays them.
 The pig is said to be the most diff
 cult animal to train. Tony Gricc, tho
 clown, does not believe in learned pigs
 They are to be taught only by Mcil
 weak point-their gluttony. ''Whcn
 have got my young pig" he says, 'l
 begin on the principle that shall obtain
 nothing from him without satisfying hi
 appetite. feed him myself, and during
 few days vary his food in order to fint
 out what he likes best. As soon as
 have discovered his favorite dish
 I deprive him of it completely
 This dish is my great talisman. Tn
 chief pig I am now performing witl
 prefers beef fat put piece in m,